75% of Human Trafficking Victims in Nigeria Are School-Aged, Says ICMPD

A new report by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) has revealed that 75 percent of human trafficking victims recently rescued in Nigeria are of school age, prompting renewed calls for targeted intervention within the country’s educational system.

The alarming statistic was disclosed by Elvis Ederibhalo, Edo Project Officer for the School Anti-Trafficking Education and Advocacy Project (STEAP), during the inauguration of Anti-Human Trafficking and Violence Against Persons (A.TIPVAP) Vanguard Clubs in select secondary schools in Benin City.

The initiative, implemented in collaboration with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and supported by the Government of the Netherlands, is part of a broader campaign to combat trafficking through education and grassroots advocacy.

“The traffickers are recruiting directly from schools,” Ederibhalo said. “This means prevention must also begin in schools. These clubs will not only educate students but also empower them to educate others.”

He added that teachers and parents are being trained alongside students to serve as frontline defenders against trafficking. As part of the intervention, ICMPD has worked with the Federal Ministry of Education to integrate human trafficking topics into the national curriculum.

In addition to educational support, the project will also address infrastructural needs in participating schools. “Sometimes what discourages students is the absence of basic learning facilities,” Ederibhalo noted. “We’ll be providing furniture, teaching aids, and other materials based on the schools’ self-identified needs.”

Zonal Commander of NAPTIP in Benin, Mr. Sam Offiah, warned that traffickers are increasingly exploiting the internet to target students. “We’re seeing an upsurge in internet trafficking. They use fake profiles, phishing schemes, and even blackmail with nude photos to lure young people,” he said.

Offiah emphasized that the new school-based vanguard clubs aim to equip students with the knowledge to detect and resist such tactics. “Our goal is to make these students ambassadors who can educate their peers and families. Traffickers now operate in the digital space, and we must counter them at the grassroots.”

Principals of participating schools, Mr. Ighodaro Egbe of Ihogbe Secondary School and Mr. Michael Ipogah of Oba Akenzua Secondary School, commended the initiative, describing it as a timely intervention.

“Our students are the prime targets for traffickers,” Egbe said. “Awareness is the first step in their defense.”

The A.TIPVAP Vanguard Clubs are expected to serve as community watchdogs and knowledge hubs in the fight against human trafficking, especially among Nigeria’s vulnerable youth population.